The Concrete is Blossoming, 1978

Christer Themptander

Annika Gunnarsson: Christer Themptander has been active as a visual activist, poet, and graphic artist since the 1960s.

His images draw our attention to the absurd aspects of life, to questions of power and oppression, but also to the fact that the visually playful does not always have to cater to the viewer.

The image entitled “The Concrete is Blossoming” is a so-called photomontage. For Christer Themptander, this means separating things that are usually closely related and putting together elements that otherwise would not be shown side by side.

It is simply about analysing things and events, and demonstrating the imperfection of our structures.

Using scissors and glue, Christer Themptander plays with similarities and differences, with meetings and conflicts. In his images the possible always encounters the impossible.

This photomontage served as the template for a poster that accompanied the “Stadsbarn” or “City Children” exhibition at Nationalmuseum in 1979.

From a historical perspective, the 1970s have been defined as the decade when culture advanced its position, largely thanks to the 1974 Culture Act, which had a major impact on cultural policy in the decades that followed.

The guiding principles of the time were freedom of expression, decentralisation, equality, artistic renewal, and the preservation of cultural heritage.